The most exciting match was against Transvaal, which drew a crowd of 25,000. The home side escaped with a draw when their Springbok full-back, Mickey Gerber, landed a last-minute penalty goal.

What is the translation of the Ka Mate haka?David Clark, England

Arguably the free translation provided by Dave Gallaher and Billy Stead, the captain and vice-captain of the original All Blacks of 1905, in their rugby classic The Complete Rugby Footballer on the New Zealand System which was published in 1906 is as good as any. It was as follows:

Together we live, together we die,
This man we bring is the murderous one,
He slew as long as the sun shone.
So shame on him! Shame on him!
Shame on him as long as the sun shines.

How much bigger are today's players than those of fifty or so years ago? John Gray, Scotland

The sharpest rugby mind of the 20th century belonged to Dr Danie Craven. He was capped for South Africa mainly as a scrum-half but was good enough to play Tests as a centre, fly-half and once even as a No.8. He skippered the Springboks against the 1938 Lions, became a distinguished Springbok coach and manager and later served the South African Rugby Board as its President.

In December 1952, after making a detailed study of hundreds of Test players, he published an interesting table of average (mean) heights and weights by position. The table below compares Craven's results (column two) with the corresponding stats for members of the victorious third Test Lions team in Australia.

The change in height of rugby players

Position

Mean Height

Lions Player

Height

Increase

Fullback

177cm

Leigh Halfpenny

178

0.6%

Wing

178

George North

192

7.9%

Centre

177

Jamie Roberts

193

9.0%

Fly-half

174

Jonny Sexton

188

8.0%

Scrum-half

171

Mike Phillips

193

12.9%

Prop

181

Alex Corbisiero

186

2.8%

Hooker

179

Richard Hibbard

183

2.2%

Second-row

187

Geoff Parling

201

7.5%

Back-row

186

Dan Lydiate

193

3.8%

The results for the weights are:

The change in weight of rugby players

Position

Mean weight

Lions Player

Weight

Increase

Fullback

77kg

Leigh Halfpenny

81

5.2%

Wing

78

George North

105

34.6%

Centre

74

Jamie Roberts

107

44.6%

Fly-half

72

Jonny Sexton

92

27.8%

Scrum-half

70

Mike Phillips

105

50.0%

Prop

89

Alex Corbisiero

118

32.6%

Hooker

85

Richard Hibbard

111

30.6%

Second-row

95

Geoff Parling

110

15.8%

Back-row

90

Dan Lydiate

109

21.1%

When did rugby actually go metric - if it ever did in IRB rules, changing the 25-yard line to the 22 meters line and so on? CH, France

As far back as 1969 the Rugby Football Union set up a sub-committee to recommend adaptation of the game's Laws to the metric system.

The metrication proposals were subsequently approved the year later but it was not until the 1976 annual meeting of the International Rugby Board (IRB) that it was decreed that the pitch markings (and other dimensions) should adopt the metric system.

At the time, only the four Home Unions and the Tri-Nations were members of the IRB. Continental Unions had previously used the same laws as the IRB, but their handbooks had shown the pitch dimensions in metres.

When did rugby adopt the advantage law?Peter Wilson, England

Arguably rugby's best example of "advantage" is the penalty try. This was introduced to the Laws in 1888, the relevant clause stating: "If in the opinion of the Referee, on a claim from the opposite side, a try would undoubtedly have been gained but for the unfair play or interference by the defending side, he should adjudge such a try."

In 1892 this was extended to provide for the defending side: "[The Referee] shall disallow a try and adjudge a touch down, if a try would undoubtedly not have been gained but for unfair play or interference by the attacking side."

It was not until 1910, however, that the "advantage" Law pertaining to general play first appeared.

The section of the Laws relating to Irregularities Not Provided For was rewritten to read: "If when a Law is broken or any irregularity of play occurs not otherwise provided for, and any advantage is gained there-from by the opposite side, the Referee shall not blow his whistle but shall allow the game to proceed, but if no advantage is gained by such side, and if no other procedure is provided, the ball shall be taken back to the place where the breach of the Law or irregularity occurred."

In 1926, the International Board issued a circular laying down further: "Referees should see that an advantage generally meaning 'territorial advantage' is gained by the non-offending side, failing which they should whistle for the offence. An opportunity of gaining an advantage is not sufficient."